"What it must look and smell like when a movie brain vomits. Truly worthless."
-Variety

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

Watered-Down Fowls, or Not Quite Fierce Enough...

I can't help but think of what a friend once said about Fierce Creatures back in the day of its initial theatrical release: "Wow. They didn't even phone it in." Or that they went down swinging, but without swinging, something to that effect. But I am a sucker for anything with that Panavision look to it... or am I? It seems to have a cooling effect for comedy. But God bless 'em, the respective directors stuck by their cameramen. Well, Fred by Ian Baker, anyway. Biddle's more of a free-lancer in comparison... was, but we will always have his work on City Slickers 2 to cherish!Anyway, Fierce Creatures is kinda right up my alley now, thematically, as it has to do with the economy, and making money where money shouldn't be made: prisons, health care, and zoos, for starters. But people do love types like Rupert Murdoch... I mean, Rod McCain, and even for them, money doesn't grow on trees. They have to go out and find it somewhere. Encouraged by the success of Dave, Kevin Kline plays two parts here, and much like the plot of Dave, well... have I given too much away? Probably. For me, I am a prude at heart, and while I appreciated the lengths cast and crew went to to make this a sexual farce, it still was a little too obvious, but Jamie Lee Curtis's mixed feelings are the fuses that burn for the length of a movie before the dynamite explodes... and even THAT was a bit tepid. As a sequel to A Fish Called Wanda... dare I make the case that they're both just as good? Nah, but the strength of both seemed to be based on Kline, but clearly Vince McCain is no match for Otto. And the animals were cute. Beautiful plumage!! Unfortunately for me, W.C. Fields' character in If I Had A Million is named Rollo La Rue, not Rollo Lee. They did their homework.